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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Baby Steps: Another 'Third Life' Lesson

"Years ago, I threw myself headlong into into mothering. It was the most frighteningly wonderful thing I have ever done or will ever do. And the reward? Four unique adults who made their way confidently out of my nest just as this little one stepped in."Read the rest

In this week's Home Planet column for the Spokesman-Review, I wrote about watching my granddaughter learn to walk. I raised four children so watching babies crawl and learn to put one foot in front of another is nothing new. But this time, perhaps it's because as the grandmother I have the freedom to step back and observe while her parents do the hard work, I noticed that as she began to take her first steps she never once looked at her feet. She was completely focused on where she wanted to go.

There's a lesson for all of us in that, I think. It's so easy to keep our eyes on our feet and never once look up to see where we are, where we've been and where we're headed.

Now, in my third life, I’m taking baby steps again. I’ve packed everything I have learned from growing up, navigating a marriage, raising a family, building a career and living an ordinary life in an extraordinarily complicated world. I've got a lot of experience and a little wisdom and I still have the curiosity of a child.

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About Me

I write intimate, narrative, sense-of-place travel essays for print, online and my weekly public radio program. My work has been quoted in The New York Times and featured in Alaska Airlines Magazine, AAA Journeys, Via, AAA Traveler and other publications as well as on Away.com, Mashable.com, TravelMamas.com, Forbes Luxury Travel,Public Radio Exchange (PRX.)

I contribute frequent national and international features to AAA Journeys magazine and my weekly Home Planet travel column runs in a special publication of The Spokesman-Review and on Spokesman.com. My weekly public radio essays are aired across the Northwest including parts of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, and can be heard on public radio stations and podcasts across the U.S.

I am a contributor to WA Travel + Life magazine, write a regular international travel feature for Spokane Woman magazine and the Travel Like a Pro business travel tips feature for Inland Northwest Business Catalyst magazine.

My Treasure Hunting blog about antiques and collectibles has been on Spokesman.com. since 2004.